I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to adhesive rollers of the type used for detritus removal.
II. Description of Related Art
There are many previously known adhesive rollers for detritus removal. These previously known rollers typically comprise an elongated strip having a backing layer. The strip includes two ends and two spaced-apart and parallel side edges.
An adhesive layer is provided along a first side of the backing layer. Thereafter, the strip is wound into a tubular and cylindrical roll with the adhesive layer facing outwardly. Oftentimes the strip is wound about a tubular core and the tubular core is then rotatably mounted on a handle to facilitate rolling of the adhesive roller along the surface desired to be cleaned.
After prolonged use of the adhesive roller for cleaning surfaces, the adhesive on the outermost layer or sheet of the adhesive roller becomes covered with detritus and other matter and loses its adhesiveness. When this happens, it is necessary to remove the outermost sheet of the adhesive roller to expose fresh adhesive on the next underlying sheet of the roller.
The second side of the backing layer, i.e. the side of the backing layer opposite from the adhesively coated side, is either coated with an adhesive release coating or has inherent release characteristics so that the surface reduces, but does not eliminate, the adhesion of the second side of the backing strip with the adhesive coating on the next underlying sheet. Such adhesion, of course, is necessary in order to maintain the integrity of the roller in use.
Consequently, because of the adhesion of the backing layer with the adhesive on the next underlying layer of the roller, the actual removal of individual sheets, each constituting one circumference of the roller, is difficult to achieve without tearing or shredding the sheet being removed. Furthermore, in the event that the entire first surface of the backing layer was covered with the adhesive, it is very difficult to initiate the removal of individual sheets since the edge of the sheet must be peeled away from the underlying sheet before the user is able to grab the outermost sheet and remove it from the roll.
There have, however, been a number of previously known adhesive roller constructions which are designed to facilitate the removal of individual sheets from the roller to expose fresh adhesive on the next underlying sheet. In one previously known adhesive roller, in order to facilitate the initiation of the removal of an individual sheet from the roller, the adhesive roller is provided with at least one and often two “dry” edges along the first side of the backing layer. These dry edges are uncovered with adhesive so that the edge of the outermost sheet can be easily grasped along the dry edge in order to initiate the removal of the outermost sheet from the roller.
In order to form the dry edges along one or both sides of the backing layer, it has been previously necessary to zone coat the adhesive coating on the first side of the backing layer. Furthermore, for aesthetic reasons, it is necessary to maintain a dry edge of relatively uniform width along the entire backing layer. Without a dry edge of relatively uniform width, such adhesive rollers are commercially unacceptable.
A primary disadvantage of these previously known a dhesive rollers, however, is that the zone coating of the adhesive to form the uniform width dry edges significantly increases the manufacturing cost for the adhesive roller.